Clean Sweep

So there we sat. Saturday morning. On the sofa. Together.

No agenda, no plans, no kids for the past or future week.

No kids? No Kids? What, in the what what is THAT???

Oh yeah. The kids?

They are whiling away their days at my folks in South Florida doing lovely things such as swimming in the pool off their bedroom and going to the water park and the museums and the library and baking cookies and riding bikes and playing with friends that they have made in all the years we have been traveling to that house and that neighborhood.

I get a daily report from General GiGi. They do, ever so earnestly, try to con their GiGi into not doing their hour of down time reading every day. Or eating their vegetables. Or brushing their teeth. Or...or...or.

But Gigi, being MY mother, is all too familiar with the tactics of the enlisted. Which is to say MY apples don't fall far from the mommy tree and she has comebacks in HER arsenal that I have not touched (or remembered) yet.

My kids? They are fine. We talk to them every day and they tell us they miss us and love us, but they are having a GRAND adventure. Thank you very much.

So back to the sofa.

He and me....we had a cup of coffee, and then another. And snuggled. Watched a movie. And after the excitement of THAT wore off (or the caffeine kicked in) I looked at him. He looked at me and we........

(OH you SO know where this is going? Read the title of the post. Right? Right.)

Said in unison...."Let's do it"

"IT" being cleaning out our room and the kids rooms and closets and drawers and under the bed (very, very scary) of all the accumulated crap that piles up when you aren't vigilant, despite your best efforts.

I think the dust bunnies had their very own chain of command. And I know for a fact the gum wrappers had organized their own union.

So after we got all hot and dirty and nasty and sweaty doing our cleaning thang, we took a shower, went out to eat, rented a movie (are you seeing a repeating theme here?) and snuggled on the sofa feeling all smug and self satisfied.

Was the day romantic? Hell yes. Why? Because I got to spend the entire day with my husband, side by side. We laughed, we bickered over what to keep and what to toss, we sorted through all of our and our kids accumulated "memories" (Crap or treasure...heads or tails....rock, paper, scissors, shoot. Yes it got that silly) and reminisced along the way.

That day and the past 10 days have reminded me why I married this man in the first place. Because no matter how hot and dirty and nasty and sweaty life gets, he still makes me feel funny and smart and beautiful and safe.

And he makes me laugh. Hard. And roll my eyes and laugh some more. And then snort and say "Are you kidding me? It's just a piece of construction paper with ten times the glue"

And he says, "Look closer" and I look and it says "you're the best mommy cause you snuggle me"

Yep, it's official. He's a keeper.

Happy Happy Friday

They are home safe! I just talked to the Dad. Connor's friend, her sister and mom got out of Lebanon and are back in the States!

I am so beyond happy and relieved!

Thanks to everyone for all their good thoughts and prayers.

It meant a lot to me and to the family.

Happy week-end, happy day!

Day One

10 years ago today, Atlanta hosted the Centennial Olympic Games. Big stuff for a little phoenix of a city that got burned to the ground 130 years earlier. Athens probably wanted to recreate that historic moment, if not for stealing the event out from under their favored noses, at least for the horror that was the mascot, IZZY. Izzy was scary, very scary. And BLUE, that would be the collective chokehold of a mortified city. And stars dancing around his head, again see collective choke hold. I'm not even going to touch the imagery of oversized feet.

I was hugely pregnant with BamBam and saw only one event, women's (and I use the term women loosely) gymnastic trials.

I rode the MARTA down to the venue and was 6 steps behind OJ Simpson going up the escalator to the venue. Creepy. (The same stop and escalator Co & Nancy took with me for CHA)

It was exciting and boring all at the same time.

DH worked security at the VIP section at the Aquatic venue every night and for his volunteer work amassed quite a collection of pins from the different reps of countries attending the events. Oh and he still has the uniform, which originally included long green polyester pants that met with a well organized revolt by all those working outside venues,resulting in the pants becoming shorts overnight. Can you say magic tape? I don't sew. Oh and the pith helmet. People would walk up to him everyday and offer him a couple hundred dollars for it. He never did cave and it sits on a shelf in his closet now.

If he wears it to the Atlanta History Museum, he gets in free to the new wing they've opened dedicated to the Olpympics. (woohoo....I knew there as a reason for holding on to that uniform) They wanted him to be a docent once every couple of months, but week-ends are the only option and those are a precious commodity in our house.

Still no word on my son's friend and her mom and little sister. Telephone numbers have been exchanged between the Congressman and the father.

If you're sending positive thoughts and prayers, I really appreciate it. Hopefully we'll hear some good news soon.

Cast your cares

All this past week, I have been on birthday party lock down compounded with two weeks of separation from kids looming over my head and under my radar is this uglier, scarier thing.

And I can only talk about it now because I have some news.

We have some friends, C's 'girlfriend" of 5 years from school and her parents. They are so cute, more like brother and sister. They are tight and close in the best innocent, unspoiled male/female friendship sort of way.

I just saw her and her mom two weeks ago at our last swim meet of the season. C and I got huge hugs and grins and promises of see you in August. Because she, her little sister and mom...they headed back, two weeks ago to visit family in Lebanon for 2 months.

I've left messages. Their cell phone mail boxes are full. They haven't called back. I've tried to reach them by email. No word.

Until today.

I got an email. The dad is in America. He was only there for a week. He's back in the States and is trying frantically to get his wife and two girls out. The wife is also Lebanese. The kids, being born in America, have dual citizenship. It's just surreal and it SUCKS.

One minute I'm hugging an enchanting, spunky, smart, beautiful little girl with crystalline blue eyes....one who has stolen my son's heart.

And the next, I'm wondering how the hell things go to a handbasket so quickly.

Birthday Redux

I came, I saw, I about passed out from the heat. Luckily I was wearing my hot pink tankini and jumped in the pool in between my "Julie, the Cruise Director" moments.

Here's the picture.... me with clipboard in hand greeting guests at the "lido" deck.

"Hi! I'm so glad you are here (insert child's name)! What would you like for lunch? Hamburger, Cheeseburger or Hot Dog? Great! The drop off table for presents is under the tent and you can put your pool bag on the benches"

Turning to parents (smiles/hugs/kisses as determinined by level of acquaintance, friendship and/or length of time seeing me be a complete goofball...kisses for the latter)

1) Can I have a number where you can be reached?

2) I've got your number on my cell, see you at 1PM and have fun!

3) You are staying??? Great! Adult beverages are in the blue cooler and what would you like for lunch? Hamburger, cheeseburger or hot dog? No.....there is no steak or grilled fish. Try Houlihan's.... funny...haha"

The party in short was fantastic. The kids had a blast and so did the adults, especially when Mr. Kyle did his amazing pyro act with the grill. It was freakin hot, but I stayed cool (see above).

I scored major mommy points for organization and execution of a party for 30 boys. And the treasure chest cake that I lifted from Family Fun...awesome!!! This is good, because first off no one wandered off or was hurt, therefore avoiding a call to search and rescue. And other than one child's cherry toe, that was easily mended by DH, we were accident free. But it also means I may need to go undercover next year at the PTA meetings. Oh hell, who am I kidding. I've been with these parents for 6 years now. They know my weaknesses.

This morning, I was up bright and early, getting bagels for the road prepared and we did the trade off with my parents at high noon at Cracker Barrel, halfway between points of destination.

Lots and lots of good quality conversation between me and DH on the way back. Funny, this is how it will be for two weeks, a return to the land before time, ie BK, before kids.

I'm going to make the most of this time, for me and my marriage. But I do confess, I miss the little stinkers already and so does Jake the wonder dog!

T Minus...........

20.5 hours and counting until (30) 7-8 year olds invade my neighborhood pool for a birthday party.

Pirate themed of course. "It's Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow" for a joint birthday party with my youngest son and his good friend.

Am I insane? Why yes!!! Thank you for asking...have a mint on your way out.

At this point I am in full party lock down mode. I have vague urges prompting me to crawl into some cool, dark place and rock myself to sleep. And I'm going to wrap myself in my nice cozy Excel Spreadsheet that has all the attendees names, cell phones and lunch orders.

I would zone out, but the treasure chest cake still needs to be iced.

Why? Why am I doing this???

Because last time this year, only 2 of my son's friends came and his co host buddy?? 15 of his friends showed up.

C was crushed. Not about the presents, but about the friends.
"Why didn't they come?"

And I explained the whole "It's summer and everyone is on vacation and you really do have LOTS of friends" (which he does....he has a more active social schedule in a month than I do in a year)

So I invited ALL his friends this year. Scouts, class, baseball, outside class friends.

Just EVER SO slightly more than last year and almost EVERYONE is coming.

This year, NO ONE is out of town.

NO ONE

help

I've already told him that he can't keep all those presents. It's just insane and not right. He suggested the community action center. Good boy, good choice.

And the morning after the party, I pack my two boys in Big Red, drive to a half way point in FL, give them to my rents for two weeks and drive back.

And?

WHAT?

You think I have a plan for what follows?

I have no plans other than return, collapse, wake up, go to work and for the first time in almost 10 years, NOT have a plan for the rest of the day.

I may sink, I may swim, my bets are on floundering, lots of floundering.

I'll report back sometime next week.

If you don't hear from me in a week...send out an advance party and bring a stretcher.

YoHoHo...where's the bottle of rum???

******************************************

Disclaimer, lest you all think I ENJOY inflicting pain on myself.

I ENJOY throwing a good party more. I love seeing folks of all ages smiling and hanging and laughing and getting outside themselves.

At the end of the day? I will be wiped, cause it is FREAKIN hot here in GA and the blanket is not a spreadsheet but humidity.

BUT, I will also have had a rockin good time with all the other adults at the party and my kids and their friends will have a memory of a time when life was good and simple and sweet.

Cause really in the end...it's just burgers and cake and friends swimming in the pool

And THAT is good stuff

Adventures in Dermatology

or why having to choose an HMO doctor sucks.

So I go to my little group insurance website to find a dermatologist because..................

Warning...if you are squeamish and don't have a sense of humor??? Stop reading now and go blog elsewhere.

A) I've got this itchy white rash on my neck, that rears it's ugly head every few years, having first blessed me with it's "presence' at the tender age of 12.

and

B) Acne. WTF?????? I'm freakin 45 years old. At some point between the grey hair and emerging wrinkles....acne should NOT be on the list of beauty maintenance concerns.

CRAP

So I go like a good little doobie to my HMO approved dermatologist,(who lives within walking proximity) and am told in the course of a 10 minute consult that

A) Adult onset acne is more common than puberty acne.

Oh realllllly??? Since when? Cause I'm looking at photos of my ancestors at my age and they didn't have acne and they didn't have makeup or photoshop, so WHAT gives???

and

B)That itcy white rash on my neck. Uhhmmm...yeah, there's no getting rid of it permanently. The stuff that causes it? Is everywhere. It just happens to like my skin. A lot. Oh great...THIS is what wins me a freakin popularity award???

oh and to cap it off

C) I have a flippin printout with (6), yes that is SIX prescriptions to cure my ails. Okay doing the math, 6 scrips times a $30 co-pay and the $25 office visit fee and I'm over $200 with no guarantee that any of this will work.

Can you say hosed?

Can you say homey don't play this game?

yeah...that's what I said.

Six scrips my a#$